faderift | pew pew MAYHEM

WHO: Kas & Open
WHAT: Someone suggested archery.
WHEN: Today, mid- to afternoon
WHERE: To the left by the stables.
NOTES: Brackets or prose is okay!

Alayre was the one to blame for the idea to pick up archery, although it was a sound idea. Most scouts were proficient in it, and Kas' skills with daggers left a lot to desire - so it wasn't strange that the teen had borrowed a bow and quiver from another scout, setting up a dummy in the open area by the stables and attempting to hit it.

It... wasn't easy. Drawing the bow was a bit of a struggle for a youngster with little muscle to his body, and his aiming was way off. The walls of the fortress saw a lot more arrows than the dummy, but the boy didn't give up. Stubborn as a dwarf, he pulled another arrow, trying to not knock it on his little nubs again. His hand was bleeding a little, sliced on the fletching by holding the grip wrong, but it didn't seem to dissuade him, either.

It wasn't until he had emptied the quiver that the teen sat down where he had stood and sighed dramatically. "This is stupid."

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That sliced hand is noticed and one of the bandages she'd taken from the medic area just happens to find itself on the ground next to him. Total coincidence, that. Or not, but she won't draw attention to it with words or gestures. It's up to him whether or not he makes use of it.

"That's because your grip needs adjusting. I can show you, if you want." It's been a long time since Korrin's picked up a bow, but she remembers a few things that might make it a little easier for him. Hopefully her aim won't have suffered, since she's not expecting her skill with a staff to cross over.

He discreetly picks the bandage up and wraps his hand with the slightest bit of an angry blush. Kas was glad that she wasn't fussing, though. Letting him keep his tiny and fragile male pride.

"My... grip?" The teen looks at his hand in confusion. That didn't make sense to him, but Kas supposed that it could be possible to hold it in the wrong hand, or too tightly...

Korrin's offer to help him makes him tense up a bit, and he looks down on the ground. "You have better things to do. Mage stuff. I'm not gonna be a burden on anyone!"

"Who said you were? If I want to be all nostalgic about archery, that's on me, isn't it?" Korrin shrugs, glancing to the dummy. "Maybe I just want to see how rusty I've gotten." That isn't actually an untruthful statement, now she's mildly curious to see how her tutelage holds up with time.

"Besides, I've already been sent out and just got back the other day. They're not going to need me right this minute." Either way, it's a welcome distraction from thinking about Haven. Or the Herald. Or the upcoming funeral.

Edited 2015-10-27 03:37 (UTC)

He glares at her even more, trying to see if he could pick up any mockery in her voice or words. It... seemed pretty genuine, though. Kas didn't really expect that.

"Um..." The teen hesitates for a moment, then holds out the bow to her. "Okay. Shoot things. I'll watch."

Edited 2015-10-27 14:38 (UTC)

The glare is met with a stoic expression, not reacting to that temper. Accepting the bow, Korrin nods. She examines it from end to end, critical but in the end satisfied with its quality as a weapon. Shifting into a better stance, she then draws the bow slowly, making her adjusted grip prominent. It certainly seems easier on the hands, and the way she raises it and holds it taut provides a much smoother firing. Her first arrow doesn't hit dead-center, but it does catch one of the limbs of the training dummy.

"Damn, that was a little off. But like I said, it's been a while." She's one more for action than excuses, though, and tries again, this time striking closer even if not dead on target.

His blue eyes are fixed on her, watching every movement as Korrin draws the bow and then fires. Kas frowns as she misses the center, crossing his arms. He doesn't say anything, though, because she did hit the damn dummy - and that's an improvement from his own failures.

She also didn't slice her hand, which is definitely a good thing. All that just from adjusting her grip?

Her next shot is much better and he looks a little bit impressed. "You... how did you do that? Show me!"

"Alright, but stand up. You'll want a better view."

Korrin waits for him to do that while retrieving another arrow, then knocks it again. This time, she pauses to let him see just how she's gripping it and how that affects her stance and everything else. Only after that does she let it loose, watching as it strikes the head.

"Still not dead-center, but you get the idea. I'm not saying the grip is the only important part, but you'll definitely make it a lot easier on yourself if you let the weapon work for you rather than against."

Kas gets up readily, joining her and watching her movements intently. "You make it looks so easy," he mutters, but it's not a complaint or praise. Instead it sound more like hunger, desperate to do the same.

"Do it again!"

"It's not easy. I spent countless hours missing before I ever hit the target, when I first trained. This is muscle memory, more or less."

But she'll comply, because that was the point of all this, showing him how it's done. She'll do it slower this time, too, just for emphasis. This time she hits the upper chest.

"I didn't mean it is, just that you make it look that way. How... how long did it take you to get good enough to survive?" It would be a lie to say he wasn't terrified about what could happen out there. He could die if he didn't learn this. He could get others killed, too.

Kas watches her again, trying to remember each step. "How do you get it to not knock your horns? Yours are a lot bigger than mine yet my head hurts from tapping the tips on them every time."

Korrin smiles in sympathy at mention of the horns. "Oh, I know. That happened to me a lot, too. Like other issues they can cause, it's a matter of adapting. It's not just the grip, but the angle in which you hold it. Like this."

She'll draw and pause again, this time not intending to fire the arrow so he can get a better look at what she means. "It took me months, but there was also no great rush for me to learn, either. Nor did I have the formalized training you'll get here. With the resources available here, and a lot of dedicated practice, you'll get there faster than I did." Her tone is matter-of-fact, not bland assurance. If he pays attention and stays dedicated, he can do it.

That angle made a lot of sense and he groans, rubbing his face. He must look really dumb, not realizing that sooner. With a stubborn face, Kas holds out his hand to Korrin to get the bow back. "Let me try again. I think I got it."

At least the very, very basics. Maybe he wouldn't hurt himself this time.

Nodding, Korrin hands it over. She doesn't seem to think he's dumb, just new to this, and therefor there's always room for improvement. "Alright, let's see what you got. Take your time, we're not in a battle."

Of course, speed will be something that has to be worked on as well...later. At the moment, she'd rather emphasize technique.

Kas nods at that and then takes her place. This time he's taking it very slow, trying to copy her movements the best he can. Puling back the bow string as far as he could with his lack of muscle, the teen takes a long moment to aim before he finally lets the arrow fly.

It hits the arm of the dummy, and he brightens up immensely. "I... I hit it! I hit it!" He can't help the glee, even if he tries his best to hold it back and not seem like more of a child than he is.

"You... um... thanks."

Grinning, Korrin claps his shoulder. "Not bad! And you're welcome. Though you should really find someone who's used a bow more recently than I have, they'll probably be able to teach you all sorts of tricks I know nothing about."

He cringes just slightly when she touches his shoulder, but then smiles again. She was just... really nice, and it calms him a little.

"I will! There's a training thing for scouts, but I... I didn't want to go until I at least knew a little." He didn't want to be the one who stuck out, who needed more help. His qunariness was bad enough.

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